Brake beam



1936- J. P. GALLAGH-ER 2,059,225

BRAKE BEAM Filed Sept. 12, 1930 I Q7; lNVENT O-R m JOHN P. GALLAGHER ATTORN EIY utentecll 3, m3

BR BEAM I In P. Gallagher, Jersey City, M. ii.

Application September 12, 1930, Serial No. 4814102 26) Claims.

The invention relates to a railway brake beam.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved form of truss brake beam which will be simple in construction, formed of a minimum number of parts with a minimizing of machined parts and in which the parts are permanently and non-adjustably retained in their originally constructed relation.

It is common practice at present in the manufacture of brake beams of the type hcrein disclosed to fasten the compression and tension members to each other by locating some adjustable form of threaded nut or turn buckle on the tension member adjacent to its opposite ends. The compression member is released from its distorted or cambered position allowing its ends to draw back against the fastening means and so that these members are in compression and ten sion relation to each other. Unless the fastening means are located in precise symmetry to the center line of the beam and retained in this location throughout its life, the compression member will pull unequally on the opposite ends of the tension member with resulting distortion from the required symmetrical construction of the beam as a whole. Recognizing this defect, other means for fastening together the tension and compression members have been suggested, such as upsetting the ends of the tension member into engagement with the ends of the compression member and by bending the ends of the tension member about the ends of the compression member but these methods have not proven successful in actual practice: are diflicult to use, add materially to the cost of manufacture over common practices and even then do not insure uniformity either in size or organization of the structural parts of the beam particularly when the beams are fabricated in large quantities as a factory production.-

Accordingly, an important object of the present disclosure is to provide a form of brake beam which will *ayoid these difliculties and objections; to provide a method of procedure which will insure absolute duplication and identity in brake beams intended to be duplicates of each other and in general to provide an easily practiced method for forming brake beams free of variations such as exist in the conventional forms of truss brake beams. Such defects are due to numerous causes such as human equation in accuracy in the locating of the fastening means during manufacture and also due to invariable changing of the location of these fastening means during service, such as loosening of the nuts and similar devices permitted by their non-permanent nature.

In railway braking mechanisms now in general use much care is taken in the designing of the pressure creating mechanism for applying pressure to the strut element of brake beams, but it is not uncommon to find that despite this carefulness in design of these parts it not infrequently happens that one of the brakes applies greater pressure on its associated wheel than does the companion brake with resulting danger to the equipment. This unequal application of brake pressure on the wheels is due to the failure of the brake beam to resolve the brake pressure applied to its strut into two equal components acting through the brake heads at opposite ends of the truss, and even when the brake beam has been designed with an initial symmetry and otherwise constructed to divide the imposed pressure distortions which subsequently develop in service destroy the original symmetry with resuiting defects in operation of the mechanism.

Accordingly, another object of the invention is to provide a form of truss brake beam which will at all times transmit its imposed braking pressure equally to both brakes.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from a consideration of the method features of the disclosure and from an inspection of the accompanying drawing and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one method of practicing the invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel modifications of the preferred method and other features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic showing of the parts of a templet or machine for bending, holding and welding certain structural parts of a brake beam and showing the structural parts of a brake beam in the position at the start of the welding operation and illustrating a step in the method of constructing the brake beam herein featured;

Fig. 2 is a view in plane of the completed brake beam constituting a preferred embodiment of the physical features of the invention, the beam being shown in operative position over certain structural parts of the truck, certain known parts being omitted;

Figs. 3 and 4 inclusive are detailed sectional views taken along different parts of the tension member as shown in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 being a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and Fig. 4 being a. longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 4-4.

It is understood that the brake beam as a whole I is of conventional design in that it includes a compression member I 0, opposite ends of which are fitted into the recesses in the opposing ends of preformed castings H and I2 forming brake shoe heads which carry the brake shoes (not shown) and by means of which the beam as a whole is suspended in position by means forming no part of this disclosure.

The beam includes a tension member l3 of conventional form, the end portions of which are passed through tension rod receiving bores l4 extending through the heads l I and I2. The crotch portion l5 of the tension member is maintained in position spaced from the center of the compression member by a strut l6 which may be of any conventional form.

The method herein featured is most conveniently practiced by mounting the structural parts thus outlined in a suitable assembling and welding machine, essential parts of which are herein disclosed in Fig. 1, and a more complete showing is contained in my copending application.

In practicing the method pieces of structural metal of the usual channel or other shape are cut off accurately to prescribed length. The strut is disposed on the compression member and slid along the same towards its center and finally located so that in the final assembly it will be contained in the plane m-l. The compression member with its strut is mounted in the templet or machine between the fixed stops a, b, c, d, on its inner side and plungers e and 1 disposed to engage the other side adjacent the ends. The brake shoe heads II and I2 are fitted on to the ends of the compression member ID preferably before this compression member is bent to give it the desired degree of camber. The heads I l and I2 are disposed as shown in Fig. 1 with the bores l4 directed inwardly towards each other, away from the compression member Ill and towards the vertical longitudinal medial plane through the beam indicated by the lines m-Z. When so disposed the fiat bearing surfaces l1 forming head receiving stops defining the outer ends of the brake shoe heads will be disposed at right angles to the length of the bore I4, and to the portion of the tension member contained therein, and will be at an obtuse angle to the general length of the compression member. With the parts thus disposed in position, the plungers e and j are advanced in unison to distort the compression member, placing it under camber preferably inclined ths of an inch and the compression member is held in this position until the beam is completed.

The tension member I3 is formed initially of two long bolt-like rods l8 and [9 preferably of the same size and configuration. These rods are provided with bolt heads 20, 2 I, forming with the shank 22 shouldered bearing surfaces 23, extending perpendicular to the length of their associated shanks 22 and each designed to have a broad bearing contact with the surface forming the coacting stop 11. The present disclosure features the use of preformed bolts or rather boltlike rods 18 and I9 which can be manufactured cheaply on conventional bolt forming machines and which can be formed already provided with the proper size and shape of head best suited for its intended purpose. The head is sufiiciently rugged to withstand the action of pressure means or the percussion to which it is subjected during the welding operation subsequently described without weakening the head or distorting the same from its original pre-set form. As these heads are not to be mutilated or distorted, thebolts l8 and l 9 may be made of strong non-malleable metal and in actual practice are preferably of rolled steel.

Positioned between the rods I8 and I8 is a. wide spreading V-shaped connecting member 24 formed of legs 25 and 26 which extend outwardly from the plane m-l at the crotch l5 and project in line with the bores I4 and with the end rods l8 and I!) carried thereby. This connecting member 24 is preferably a length of ordinary rolled steel rod having the same diameter and structural strength and of the same material as the shanks 22 and conventionally bent to the desired angle. It is a feature of this disclosure that the collective length of the two end rods I8 and I9 and the connecting rod 24 is slightly greater than the distance measured along the tension member between the head receiving stops I! at opposite ends of the compression member when cambered. This excessive length is indicated at 21 and 21' being the distance between the surfaces I1 and 23 at opposite ends and which excessive lengths of material have been carefully computed depending upon the amount of material desired in the bulbulous enlargement 28 hereinafter referred to in the completed structure.

Assuming the welding plungers y and h, of the machine to be out of the way, bolts l8 and I9 are inserted with their heads outward through the bores l4 and through any necessary templets which act as guides to hold them in place during the succeeding welding operation. The V-connecting member 24 is positioned in the usual slot at the end of the strut I6 for receiving the same and is held in position in the machine by suitable clamps or guides i-j.

Should it be desired to construct the finished beam with weld forming sleeves for wear-piece castings, preformed members such as the sleeves 29 are inserted in position encircling the adjacent ends of the rods l8 and I9 and legs 25 and 26 to enclose the abutting ends 30 and 3| of these rods. With the parts in this position, electric welding clamping jaws k and l engage the rods on opposite sides of the joint 30-3l and where sleeve 29 is used, beyond opposite ends of the sleeve. By the practicing of conventional methods of butt-joint welding, the joint 30-3I is welded while uniform pressure or percussion is applied longitudinally to the rods l8 and I9 by means of the plungers g and h which bear on the bolt head 20 and 2| respectively. The bolt heads are forced into engagement with the brake shoe heads II and I2 and until surface 23 on each of the bolt heads is in bearing engagement with the surface forming the stop I! on the adjacent brake shoe head.

This welding action will have the effect of softening the ends of the rods which form the joint 30--3I and mushrooming the softened ends thus forming the enlargement or welded joint 28. This enlargement more or less fills the bore 35 of sleeve 29 depending upon the clearance in the outside of the abutting ends 30-31, compared with the amount of surplus material at 21 or 21', but in no case is the clearance in the sleeve 29 so small as to prevent the contacting of the bolt heads with the brake shoe heads. It

is vital that the heads ill-2i have a driven tight or immovable engagement with the stops provided by the brake shoe heads or by the compression member in those cases where a direct connection is made between the tension and compression members.

The welded joints 2% are permitted to set and cool conventionally after which the plungers e, y, g and h are released, thus permitting the compression member, in its elastic tendency to return to its original position, to cause the brake shoe heads to bear equally on the bolt heads at opposite ends of the tension member thus' placing the tension member under any desired and prescribed tension. As thus constructed the beam as awhole will be symmetrical with reference to the plane ml with the parts formed to size with a mathematical accuracy and as all of the brake beams of a set can be formed with the same machine and under identical conditions all of the fabricated beams will be alike and will not be subjected to variations such as would be the case if the bolt heads 20 and El were screwed on to the tension member according to present practices in forming such members.

Referring to the showing in Fig. 2 there is disclosed diagrammatically the structural parts of a truck such as the spring plank 32 which supports a pair of safety supports or tracks 33 on opposite sides of the strut l6 and between the strut and the brake shoe head on opposite sides of the same. Tracks 33 are intended to illustrate any of the known four-point suspension for the brake beam or safety device for preventing the beam from falling in case or accident. The tracks 33 are positioned beneath the welded enlarged joints 28 and these enlargements can thus constitute wear pieces carried by and formed integral with the tension member for engaging the tracks 33. This construction permits a material wearing away of the enlargement without effecting the structural strength required in the tension member l3.

The present requirement is that additional wearing surface must be provided between the tension member and the safety or fourth point supporting track and to meet this requirement the present disclosure utilizes either the enlargement provided by the joint 23 or the combined joint forming and outlining member 29 to function as such additional wear member. The sleeve or member 29 is preferably a rugged casting and in the form of casting herein illustrated the bore 35 increases in cross sectional area from opposite ends toward the mid-portion thus providing the clearance 36 necessary to receive the surplus material from the overlength of the structural parts which were used to make up the tension member as previously described. As shown in Figs. 3 and v 4 the underside of the casting 29 is provided with a thickened portion 31 for engaging the track 33 thus providing a long life to this wear member. The casting is provided with a vent aperture 34 required in welding operations under the circumstances and otherwise may be performed to have that configuration and construction best suited for its intended functions.

By practicing the method herein disclosed a practical form of brake beam may be fabricated from simple structural parts and which parts except for the forming castings, strut and brake shoe heads can be formed of common stock structural metal. When completed, the parts are permanently welded in accurately fixed and nonadjustable position with the separate parts retaining their inherent original structural strength and prefixed configurations. The forming oi. the welded joints is not introducing an element of weakness, for.on the contrary, the greater mass of metal at the joints adds to the structural strength of the tension member as a whole. While the invention has been described in connection with the welding together of the component parts which go to make up the tension member, it is obviously within the scope of the disclosure to utilize a fixed length of tension member rather than the fixed length of compression member as herein disclosed, and to make the compression member of one or more parts of collective over-length and to weld together the parts of the compression member to fit the fixed length tension member as has been described herein for the tension member.

While the disclosure features the compression member it as a single length of commercial metal form, it is herein suggested that it be made up of two or more lengths of such forms with either welded as shown at 38 or the lengths may be spliced together as shown at 39 or otherwise fabricated of fixed length between the brake shoe heads.

While there has been shown and described, and pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A brake beam comprising a length of struc tural metal constituting a compression member, a. pair of brake shoe heads into which the ends of the compression member is fitted, each of said heads provided with a tension rod receiving bore and having a fiat bearing surface defining its outer end beyond the adjacent end of the compression member, a one-piece rod V-shaped constituting a tension member having its opposite end portions extending through the bores and preformed bolt-heads defining its ends, said compression member acting through the brake shoe heads to force their flat bearing surfaces in opposite directions against the bolt heads at the ends of the tension member, a strut spacing apart the compression and tension members, castings mounted on the tension rod on opposite sides of the strut providing wear pieces for fourth point supports and the portions of the /tension rod within said castings being mushroomed outwardly into binding engagement with the castings, said castings having a depending thickened portion providing a long life to the wear pieces.

2. A brake beam comprising a-length of structural metal constituting a compression member, a pair of brake shoe heads into which the ends of the compression me ber is fitted, each of said heads provided with a tension rod receiving bore and having a fiat bearing surface defining its outer end beyond the adjacent end of the compression member, a one-piece rod V-shaped constituting a tension member having its opposite end portions extending through the bores and preformed bolt-heads defining its ends, said compression member acting through the brake shoe heads to force their fiat bearing surfaces in opposite directions against the bolt heads at the ends of the tension member, a strut spacing apart the compression and tension. members, castings mounted on the tension rod on opposite sides of the strut providing wear pieces for fourth point supports and the portions of the tension rod within said castings being mushroomed outwardly into binding engagement with the castings.

3. A truss form of brake beam including a pair of brake shoe heads having outwardly facing opposing bearing surfaces, a metallic compression member fitted between the heads and held in position sprung out of its normal position to fix the distance between said bearing surfaces to some prescribed length, a strut having one end at the center of the compression member, a one-piece V-shaped tension member extending across the end of the strut opposite the compression member, shouldered means at one end of the tension member engaging the bearing surfaces on one of the heads and similar means at the other end engaging the bearing surface on the other head, said shouldered means having a driven tight engagement with said fixedly spaced bearing surfaces and said tension member having a portion between the brake shoe heads of greater cross section than the portions on opposite sides thereof and containing surplus material which was present originally within the outlines of the tension member.

4. In a trussed brake beam, the combination of a compression member, a one-piece tension member connected at opposite ends to the ends of the compression member, a joint forming sleeve in spaced relation to the compression member and having a bore containing a portion of the tension member, said bore having a greater cross sectional area between its ends than at its ends and the mid-portion of the part of the tension member contained in said bore having a greater cross sectional area than the similar area of the ends of the bore.

5. A trussed brake beam including a one-piece rod forming the tension member and provided at opposite ends with integral means forming bearing surfaces facing each other, an elastic compression member distorted from its normal position, fitted between the said fixed surfaces and acting by virtue of its elasticity to secure together the tension and compression members, and said tension member comprising a central rod and two end rods having an end of each welded in end to end abutting relation to opposite ends of the central rod, and said rods forming at their abutting points integral bulbous enlargements reinforcing the tension rod.

6. A brake beam including an integral structural member having heads at opposite ends and a pair of spaced apart welded joints forming bulbous portions intermediate the ends and adapted to constitute wear pieces for fourth point supports, the portions of said member between each head and the adjacent joint and between the two joints being of uniform cross section and each of the joints having a cross sectional area greater than the cross sectional area of the portions on opposite sides of the same.

'7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a trussed brake beam being symmetrical with reference to a transverse medial plane and having a strut in said plane, said beam including a one-piece structural member continuous from end to end, the portion of said member on each side of said plane each comprising a pair of butt welded sections forming integral reinforcing enlargements of fused metal on opposite sides of the strut and intermediate the strut and the adjacent ends of the beam.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a car truck provided with a spring plank, a track carried thereby, a trussed brake beam, means for suspending the same above the track, said beam comprising a fabricated structure including a compression member and a tension member extending transversely across the track, said tension member including a welded joint forming an enlargement of greater cross sectional area than the portions of the tension members on opposite sides of the track and adapted to constitute a wear-piece between the tension member and the track.

9. In a car truck, the combination of a brake beam, two supports extending beneath said brake beam on opposite sides of its transverse center, and a pair of castings permanently located on the brake beam and resting on said supports and said brake beam including welded joints for securing the casting in place.

10. In a brake beam, the combination of a tension member, a. sleeve encircling said member permanently and irremovably secured in place and provided on its underside with a thickened extension providing a wear piece adapted to engage a fourth point support, the portion of the member encircled by the sleeve being mushroomed into an enlarged diameter to secure the sleeve to the member.

11. In a brake beam, the combination of a tension member, a sleeve encircling said member and provided on its underside with a thickened extension providing a wear piece adapted to engage a fourth point support, said sleeve provided with a bore increasing in cross sectional area from opposite ends towards its mid portion and the part of the tension member contained within the outlines of the sleeve being distended into the midportion of the bore and acting to secure the wear piece in position.

12. In a brake beam of the truss type, the combination of a rod of uniform cross sectional area for the major portion of its length and constituting the tension member of the beam, means forming a wear piece encircling the rod, and the portion of the rod within the outlines of said means being of greater cross sectional area than said major portion and acting to secure the wear piece permanently in fixed position on the tension member.

13. In a brake beam of the truss type, the combination of a pair of fixedly spaced apart stops, a one-piece rod constituting the tension member of the brake beam having heads at opposite ends in driven tight engagement with the fixed stops, a. sleeve encircling the rod, and the portion of the rod contained within the sleeve being mushroomed into binding engagement with the encircling sleeve.

14. In a brake beam of the truss type, the combination of a pair of fixedly spaced apart stops, a one-piece structural metal member constituting the tension member of the brake beam and having preformed heads at opposite ends in a pressed tight engagement with said stops and said tension member including an enlarged portion constituting a welded joint in spaced relation to the heads.

15. In a brake beam of the truss type comprising a tension and a compression member secured in permanently fixed relation, one of said members provided with a pair of spaced apart pressure receiving surfaces facing away from each other, the other member being of one piece, continuous from end to end and having heads at opposite ends each in a driven tight bearing engagement with its associated surface and said one-piece meinber including an integral mushroomed bulbous portion in spaced relation to its headed ends and said headed one-piece member being of rolled steel, except for the bulbous portion, and the bulbous portion being the product of rolled steel when subjected to a welding action.

16. In a. brake beam of the truss type, the combination of a brake shoe head, an end of a compression member intruded into said head, an end of a tension member passing through the brake shoe head and provided with a hammered head, engaging the brake shoe head and functioning to hold the hammered head in its initial percussively driven engagement with the end of the compression member.

17. In a brake beam, the combination of a compression member held under camber provided at oppositeends with brake shoe heads, a V- shaped tension member having at each end boltlike rods of rolled steel integrally connected to form a one-piece tension member terminating in hammered heads of compressed steel with each of said heads in their initially fabricated integral engagement with their associated rod and in percussively driven engagement with and bearing with a'force suiiicient to break any intervening oxidized layer against its associated brake shoe head and engaging the same over an annular area concentric with the axis of the adjacent end portion of the rods forming the tension member, the bearing faces of said heads being not less than twice the diameter of the rods, thereby to provide a relatively large annular area of engagement between the brake shoe heads and the tension member, said integral tension member bearing directly on the brake shoe heads and coacting with the brake shoe heads and compression member to form a truss structure, said tension member extending integrally between its heads, permanently and non-adjustably secured in its original prefixed relation to the compression member.

18. A truss form of brake beam including a compression member provided at opposite ends with rugged members forming brake shoe heads each having a mass sufflcient to form in effect an anvil capable of receiving percussion effects without becoming distorted and having outwardly exposed flat bearing surfaces, a tension member extending between and having its ends passing through the brake shoe heads, each of said flat bearing surfaces on the heads extending in a plane at right angles to the length of the adjacent portion of the tension member, said tension member provided at opposite ends with hammered heads having on their inner sides annular fiat surfaces in percussively driven and direct bearing engagement with the flat anvil surfaces on the brake shoe heads, and the interengaging surfaces between the bolt heads of the tension member and the brake shoe heads and the interengaging bearing surfaces between the brake shoe heads and the compression member being free of burrs, ragged edges or oxidized film, said tension and compression members with the brake shoes therebetween being permanently secured in their fabricated relation to avoid subsequent micro-movement between the brake shoe heads and the ends of the tension member and thereby avoid abrading action at their interengaging surfaces.

19. A set of structural elements for use in forming a brake beam comprising a compression member adapted to be cambered in the finished structure, having brake shoe heads at opposite ends thereof and each head provided with an outwardly facing flat bearing surface providing a rugged stop and having a rod receiving bore extending at right angles to the plane of its associated bearing surface, means for forming a tension member, said means comprising two preformed bolt-like end rods of rolled steel each provided with a rugged head capable of withstanding percussion thereon incidental to a welding operation without distortion andits inner surface providing a broad flat annular bearing for directly engaging the bearing surface on its associated head, and each rod provided with a shank fitting in its associated bore and a rolled steel rod forming a wide spreading V-shaped connecting member having substantially the same diameter as the shanks of the bolt-like rods adapted to have its ends welded to the shank ends of the two bolt-dike rods thereby to connect the heads integrally with each other.

20. A set of structural elements for use in forming a brake beam comprising a compression member adapted to be cambered in the finished structure, having brake shoe heads at opposite ends thereof and each head provided with an outwardly facing flat bearing surface providing a rugged stop and having a rod receiving bore extending at right angles to the plane of its associated bearing surface, means for forming a tension member, said means comprising two preformed bolt-like end rods of rolled steel each provided with a rugged head capable of withstanding percussion thereon incidental to a welding operation without distortion and its inner surface providing a broad flat annular bearing for directly engaging the bearing surface on its associated head, and each rod provided with a shank fitting in its associated bore and a rolled steel rod forming a wide spreading V-shaped connecting member having substantially the same diameter as the shanks of the bolt-like rods adapted, to have its ends welded to the shank ends of the two bolt-like rods thereby to connect the heads integrally with each other, the collective length of the two bolt-like end rods measured from the heads to their unheaded ends and the connecting v-shaped rod being slightly greater than the distance in the finished construction measured along the tension member between the heads when the compression member is combined.

JOHN P. GALLAGHER. 

